Award pricing, fees and transfer partners change often — confirm current terms on the operator's own site before you book or apply.
Price check (September 2026): United raised its partner First awards without notice in April 2026 — Lufthansa First from the US is now 154,000 miles one-way (from 121,000), and ANA First jumped to 242,000. The June 2026 availability freeze below is still in force.
For around 154,000 United miles plus ~$220 in taxes, you can fly Lufthansa First Class from the U.S. to Frankfurt — a seat that sells for around $9,000. That's about 5.7¢ per mile, roughly 4.2× their baseline value. First Class has always been the hardest award in the Star Alliance to book — and right now it can't be booked with United miles at all.
Status check (August 2026): Since June 1, 2026, long-haul Lufthansa First Class award space has stopped appearing in partner programs — United, Avianca LifeMiles and the rest — entirely, and as of late-June reporting it had not returned. Lufthansa hasn't announced the change as permanent, but for now the only points path into this cabin is Lufthansa's own Miles & More program at dynamic prices. Don't transfer Chase points to United for this award today. Keep them flexible in Chase, set an alert on your route, and treat the playbook below as how the award works if partner space comes back — or fall back to Lufthansa or Swiss business class, which partners can still book.
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Quick answer
- Cost: 154,000 United miles one-way since April 2026 (from 121,000), for a ~$9,000 seat
- Book with: United (united.com), using Star Alliance partner space on Lufthansa metal
- Transfer from: Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1, instant), or earn directly with the United Explorer
- Taxes & fees: ~$220
- Catch: since June 1, 2026 Lufthansa hasn't released long-haul First award space to partners — don't transfer Chase points to United for this award today; fall back to Lufthansa or Swiss business class, which partners can still book
At a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost (points/miles) | ~154,000 United miles one-way (from 121,000 before April 2026) |
| Program | United MileagePlus |
| Route / property | US to Frankfurt on Lufthansa |
| Cabin / room | Lufthansa First Class |
| Transfer partners | Chase Ultimate Rewards 1:1 (only bank feed) |
| Taxes & surcharges | ~$220 (roughly $200–$300 by direction) |
| Cash value (cpp) | ~$9,000 seat · ~5.70¢ per mile |
| Best time to book | Historically inside ~15 days of departure (partner space paused since June 1, 2026) |
What it's worth
| Cash price of the seat | ~$9,000 (one-way First Class to Frankfurt) |
| Miles used | ~154,000 United MileagePlus miles |
| Taxes & fees paid | ~$220 |
| Cents per mile | (9,000 − 220) ÷ 154,000 × 100 = 5.70¢ |
| On-paper value of 154k United miles | ~$2,080 (at our 1.35¢ baseline) |
| Value unlocked | ~4.2× the baseline |
The formula is always the same: (cash − taxes) ÷ points × 100 = cents per point. At 5.7¢, this would be one of the best returns you can get out of United miles — and it buys a cabin most people will never pay cash for. United has raised this award steeply, though: pricing that once sat around 121,000 miles is now 154,000 one-way (April 2026). See how we value every currency for the baselines.
How to book
United miles have one main transferable feed and one co-brand feed — you don't need to fly United to stockpile them:
- Chase Ultimate Rewards → United MileagePlus (1:1, instant). This is the big one — no other bank's transferable points move to United.
- United co-brand Chase cards — the United Explorer and its siblings earn United miles directly and hand out a large welcome bonus.
- Flying United or a Star Alliance partner — the slow way.
A realistic path to 154,000 United miles from a standing start:
- Open a Chase Ultimate Rewards card with a 60,000–100,000-point welcome bonus — the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or an Ink business card (verify current offer).
- Add the United Explorer for its own bonus and free-checked-bag perks (verify current offer).
- Meet the minimum spend on purchases you'd make anyway.
- Search on united.com. Use the award search, filter to Business/First, and look for "Saver" partner space on Lufthansa metal (A340, A350, 747-8, A380 on some routes).
- Transfer Chase points to United only once your First seat is confirmed — never before.
- If it won't ticket online, phone United. Partner First sometimes shows but won't price on the site; a quick call fixes it (ask them to waive the phone fee since it won't book online).
Finding availability
This is where 90% of people give up. Lufthansa deliberately hoards its own First Class award seats — and, per the status note above, it currently isn't releasing them to partners at all. Here's how the play worked, and what to watch for if space returns:
- Know the release window — and the current freeze. Historically, Lufthansa held First Class award space for its own Miles & More members until roughly 15 days before departure, then dumped whatever was left to Star Alliance partners like United — so you were mostly hunting inside two weeks of the flight. Since June 1, 2026 that partner release has stopped entirely; if it resumes, expect the same short-notice pattern.
- Set alerts, don't refresh. Use ExpertFlyer or seats.aero to watch Lufthansa First space on your route so you get pinged the moment a seat opens.
- Search one passenger at a time. Engines often show a single First seat when they'd hide two — book singles and link the records.
Who should do it
At ~5.7¢ per mile this is a top-tier use of United miles: a five-figure cash cabin unlocked for a mid-size mileage balance, with a private terminal and a Porsche transfer thrown in that no amount of money buys on most airlines. The redemption is strong precisely because the cash price is so absurd almost nobody pays it — so the miles are doing enormous work.
The honest counterpoints: right now the biggest one is that the award hasn't been bookable through partners since June 1, 2026 — until Lufthansa First space returns to United, this page is a watchlist, not a booking guide. Beyond that, the historical ~15-day release window makes First genuinely hard to plan around, so this rewards flexible calendars far more than fixed ones. 154,000 miles is real spending to accumulate — two card bonuses or a lot of everyday spend. And if you'd never actually pay $9,000 cash, part of the "value" is theoretical. But the experience — Porsche, caviar, a private terminal — very much is not.
- Good alternative: Lufthansa or Swiss business class, which partners can still book — or see LifeMiles → Lufthansa First for the no-surcharge route if First space returns.
What Lufthansa First Class is like
The factual product (documented, not embellished): Lufthansa First Class sits in a small forward cabin — usually 8 seats or fewer — with a wide armchair seat that's separate from a fully flat bed, plus a personal wardrobe. Service is à la carte with caviar, a proper champagne and wine list, and dine-on-demand timing. The signature perk is on the ground in Frankfurt: the First Class Terminal (FCT), a building reserved for First passengers with private security, à la carte dining, a cigar lounge, bath tubs and day rooms, and — best of all — a chauffeured Porsche or Mercedes ride across the tarmac directly to your aircraft. Munich has a dedicated First Class Lounge and Terminal as well.
Search & verify prices
Award pricing and space change constantly — check live before you transfer:
- Book & search award space: United — shows Star Alliance partner (Lufthansa) First space and prices it, when Lufthansa releases any (none since June 1, 2026 — see the status note above).
- Operating carrier: Lufthansa — the airline that flies this route.
- Find award space fast: seats.aero · point.me · ExpertFlyer
- Compare cash prices & date grids: Google Flights · ITA Matrix
These open external airline/tool sites; confirm the live price and space before moving any points.
Bottom line
154,000 United miles plus ~$220 for a ~$9,000 Lufthansa First seat would be ~5.7¢ per mile — but partner First space hasn't been released since June 1, 2026. Keep Chase points flexible, set an alert, and book Lufthansa or Swiss business in the meantime.
Note: Award prices and availability change. Search before you transfer — transfers are one-way.
FAQ
Which cards earn United miles? Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers 1:1, or earn directly with a United Explorer co-brand card. No other transferable-points bank feeds United — see How to book.
Is it always 154,000 miles? No guarantee. United raised partner First awards without notice in April 2026 — Lufthansa First from the US went from 121,000 to 154,000 miles one-way. Treat 154k as the current reference price and verify your dates if partner space returns.
Why is First so hard to book? Lufthansa has always restricted First award space to its own members until ~15 days out — and since June 1, 2026 it has stopped releasing long-haul First space to partners altogether. Until that changes, partner availability isn't just thin; it's absent.
What if there's no First space? Right now, that's the reality on every date. Fall back to Lufthansa or Swiss business class (far more available), or watch other Star Alliance First products. Set an alert in case Lufthansa First partner space returns.
What about the taxes? Star Alliance awards on Lufthansa carry modest carrier charges and German departure taxes — roughly $200–$300 depending on direction.
